Turntable cloth-spreading machine



1965 N. OBEDIN 3,224,756

TURNTABLE CLOTH-SPREADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1963 //Z 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

' NATHAN OBED/A F l6. l.

A TTOQNEYS Dec. 21, 1965 N. OBEDIN 3,224,756

TURNTABLE CLOTH-SPREADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR M4 7/1 A/V 0850/ BY Wmia HTTORNEYS Dec. 21, 1965 N, OBED I 3,224,756

TURNTABLE CLOTH-SPREADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6.

INVENTOR. A A 77/4 /1/ OBED/A/ FIG. &. M ZZ ATTORNEYJS IIIIIIIIIJ United States Patent 0 3,224,756 TURNTABLE ClLOTH-SPREADING MACHHNE Nathan ()hedin, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Alfred Oberlin and Harry Ettinger, executors of Nathan Obedin, deceased, assignors to Alfred Ubedin, Brooklyn, NY.

Filed Dec. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 331,175 8 Claims. (Cl. 27tl-31) This invention relates generally to improvements in cloth spreading machines and in particular to a novel mechanism in a turntable type cloth spreading machine for simultaneously releasing the cloth spreading member and turntable assembly for rotation about the machine carriage.

The invention is intended for use in connection with conventional turntable spreading machines which consist generally of a carriage mounted on wheels for reciproeating movement over a cutting table. A turntable assembly is rotatably mounted on the carriage and a roll of cloth or sheet material is mounted on the turntable. The cloth is fed downwardly over guide rollers on a spreading member which is pivotally mounted on the front of the carriage, and the spreading member carries a feed roller at its free end. The feed roller is maintained close to the table surface and during each reciprocation of the carriage, a layer of cloth is spread on the cutting table. After spreading each layer of cloth, a manual or power driven cutter is used to sever the cloth along the feed roller, thereby making it possible to rotate or reverse the turntable and commence the spreading of another layer of cloth. Thus, it is apparent that the cloth will be deposited on the cutting table in a stack, with the surface of each fabric layer being oriented in the same given predetermined relationship to one another. This is of particular significance when it is necessary to spread a roll of material having two dissimilar surfaces in a stack in which the similar surfaces of each fabric layer are oriented to face in the same direction. This type of machine has found particular use in spreading bolts of material wherein one surface of the material has a nap, design, or other specific property.

In conventional turntable spreading machines, it has been the practice to provide a first manually-operable lever for pivoting the spreading member to a clearance position after a fabric layer is laid down, and a second, separate lever for disengaging the turntable lock so that the turntable may be rotated about the carriage. While such multilever actuation devices are operable for their purposes, in actual operation, this has proven to be time consuming and inefiicient. In the present invention, this difficulty has been overcome by providing a single, manuallyoperable mechanism which simultaneously releases the spreading member for vertical adjustment relative to the spreading surface, and also releases the locked turntable for rotation about the carriage. Thus, only one actuating operation on the part of the machine operator is required.

According to the present invention, there is provided a novel locking assembly for releasably holding the cloth spreading member in selected pivoted positions and releasably locking the turntable against rotation about the carriage. The locking assembly includes a ratchet assembly which is mounted on the turntable together with an actuating finger. The ratchet assembly is engaged by the actuating finger for releasably locking the cloth spreading member in selected locked positions. A catch member which is secured to the machine carriage is provided for engaging an indexing lever that is movably mounted on the turntable, and the indexing lever is manually movable between a locked position in which it engages the catch member and a released position in which it is clear of the catch member. The indexing lever is arranged to engage 3,224,75fi Patented Dec. 21, 1965 the actuating finger when said indexing lever is in a released position so as to simultaneously release the turntable for rotation about the carriage and move the clothspreading member to a position clear of the carriage.

It is an object of the invention to provide a locking assembly of the character described which permits eflicient adjustment and rotation of the cloth-spreading member.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a locking assembly for simultaneously disengaging the turntable from the carriage and moving the cloth-spreading member in a clearance position for rotation about said carriage.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a locking assembly of the character described which is cornposed of a few simple parts and is economical in manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the course of the following specification, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a cloth-spreading machine embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view thereof, with the raised position of the spreading member indicated in broken line;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a portion of the cloth-spreading machine taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the cloth-spreading machine of FIG. 3, showing the indexing lever of the machine in its actuating position;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken along line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken along line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7, showing the cloth alignment control in an unlocked position; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, there is shown a cloth-spreading machine of the type in which carriage 10 is provided for reciprocatory movement along the surface S of a cutting table. The machine includes a turntable assembly 12 which is rotatably mounted on the carriage Ill and a spreading member 14- which is mounted on the turntable assembly 12 for pivotal movement of its free end along an arcuate path toward and away from the table surface S. A locking assembly 16 is provided for simultaneously releasing the turntable assembly 12 for horizontal rotation about the carriage 1t) and for pivoting the cloth-spreading member 14 to a position clear of the carriage It to allow horizontal rotation of the turntable 12 and cloth spreading member 14 carried thereby. The turntable-type cloth spreading machine which is illustrated in the drawings is manually-operable and of a general construction which is conventional and wellknown.

The carriage 10 comprises a pair of cast metal side frames 1% and 20 connected in spaced relationship by a pair of cross-rods 22 which are fixed to the upper portion of the side frames 18 and 20. The carriage 10 has respective pairs of wheels 24 and 26 rotatably mounted on relatively short axles 28 which are fixed to the lower end portions of the side frames 18 and 20 and extend inwardly therefrom. A track (not shown) is preferably provided along one side of the table surface S, with the Wheels 24 and 26 engaging said track and rolling therealong.

As best seen in FIG. 5, a lower platform 30 is movably mounted on the carriage 10 by means of rollers 32 which ride on the upper surface of the cross-rods 22. It is preferable to provide two pairs of the roller bearings 32, each pair being mounted at a respective side of the platform 36 by means of bearing supports 34. This movable mounting arrangement for the platform 30 is utilized in connection with a cloth alignment mechanism, generally designated by the reference numeral 36. The cloth alignment mechanism 36 is used by the machine operator to laterally align the bolt of cloth with respect to the stack of cloth which is being spread, by disengaging the platform 30 from the carriage 1t and laterally sliding the platform 30 into a suitable aligned position.

The cloth alignment mechanism 36 is in the nature of releasable locking means provided for locking the lower platform 30 in a selected position transversely of the machine. Such locking means includes a cylindrical guide shaft 42 which is journalled at its ends in the side frames 18 and 20. The shaft 42 also extends rotatably and slidably through a pair of spaced upstanding brackets 44 and 46 aflixed to the lower platform 31%, as shown in FIGS. and 6. At its central portion, the shaft 42 is provided with a row of teeth 48 which extend only over approximately one-quarter of the circumference thereof, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. A housing 50 is secured to the upper surface of lower platform 30 opposite the row of teeth 48. The housing 50 has a bore 52 (FIGS. 7 and 8) within which is slidably mounted a plunger 54. The plunger 54 has an enlarged head 56 provided with a row of teeth 58 which match the teeth 48 of the shaft 42 and are positioned to mesh therewith. A compression spring 61) within housing 50 normally urges the plunger 54 outwardly of said housing 50 so that its teeth 58 engage the teeth 43 of the shaft 42. 'When the teeth 48 and '53 are in meshed engagement, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower platform 30 is locked against movement relative to the shaft 42. The lower platform 30 may thus be rolled back and forth along the cross-rods 22 in a direction transverse of the machine in order to align the roll of cloth carried thereby with the stack of cloth layers laid down on the table, in a manner to be presently described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide shaft 42 extends beyond side frame 18 and a lever 62 is mounted on the end of shaft 42 outwardly of side frame '18. The lever 62 may be manually turned for rotating guide shaft 42 to a position in which its teeth 48 are out of engagement with the teeth 58 of plunger 54. In this position, shown in FIG. 8, the plunger teeth 58 engage the smooth circumferential surface of guide shaft 42, and the lower platform 31) can be moved relative to the stationary guide shaft 42. This is accomplished by rolling the lower platform 30 on its roller bearings 32 along the cross-rods 22.

A cross-bar affixed to the carriage side frames 18 and 2t and extending therebetween, also extends slidably through a bore 65 in a swivel base 66. This cross-bar 63, together with guide shaft 42, serves to guide the lower platform 341) in its transverse movement.

In order to properly align the roll of cloth R, the machine operator merely turns the alignment lever 66 in a counterclockwise direction approximately one quarter of a turn. When the turntable assembly 12 has been disengaged in this manner, it is then possible for the operator to laterally move the turntable assembly 12 back and forth, until the roll of cloth R is in alignment with the stack of cloth that is being spread on the table surface S. After aligning the turntable assembly 12, the alignment lever 62 is rotated a quarter of a turn in a counterclockwise direction to the position shown in FIG. 2, to thereby lock the turntable assembly 12 against lateral movement with respect to the carriage 16.

The turntable assembly 12 includes an upper platform or turntable 64 which is mounted for rotation on the lower platform 36. For this purpose, a swivel base 66 is secured to the center of lower platform 30, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the base mounting a roller bearing assembly indicated by reference numeral 68. The roller bearing assembly 68 has an upper rotatable portion 76) which is secured to the center of upper platform 64. The assembly 68 is operable to permit the turntable or upper platform 64 to be turned in a horizontal plane through an angle of 180 relative to the lower platform 30 and carriage 111 during operation of the machine so that cloth may be spread in stacked layers with the nap facing in the same direction. Since the roller bearing assembly 68 is conventional in turntable machines, its further specific structural details will not be described herein.

The turntable assembly 12 also comprises a pair of side frame members 72 and 74 connected together by crossbars 76 and 78. The cross-bar 76 is stationary and is affixed to the side frame members 72 and 74, while the cross-bar 78 is rotatable and is journalled at its ends in side frame members 72 and 74. The stationary cross-bar 72 is aflixed to the upper platform 64 by means of bolts 89. A sleeve 82 is mounted on the rotatable cross-bar 78, the sleeve 82 being afiixed to the upper platform 64 by brackets 84 secured to the platform 64 by rivets 86. The brackets have arcuate end portions which embrace the sleeve 82 and are secured thereto by rivets 88, while additional rivets 91) also secure the sleeve 82 directly to the upper platform 64.

The side frame members 72 and 74 each have an upstanding portion 92 terminating in a V-shaped notch 94 for rotatably receiving the end of a cylindrical bar 96 which extends through the core of the roll of fabric R. The fabric is drawn off the roll R and guided through the spreading member 14 onto the surface of the table, in a manner to be presently described.

Means are provided for releasably locking the turntable assembly 12 in operative position in which its side frames 72 and 74 are aligned with the respective side frames 18 and 20 of carriage 10. This locking means includes a catch member 100 mounted on carriage 10. For this purpose, a flat metal bar 102 is secured between the carriage cross-rods 22 by rivets 104, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the catch member 1W is mounted centrally on said bar 102. The catch member 100 comprises an upstanding center plate 1416 having an arcuate upper surface with arcuate cam extensions 108 integrally extending therefrom. The center plate 106 has an open slot 11% formed at the center of its upper surface for receiving an indexing lever 112 which is mounted on the turntable assembly 12.

The indexing lever 112 comprises a pair of oppositelyextending rods 114 and 116 which are fixed to the free ends of a pair of flat mounting plates 118 mounted on the upper surface of platform 64. The mounting plates 118 project from each side of the upper platform 64 and are formed of relatively thin gauged metal, thereby allowing the mounting plates 118 to bend easily to allow pivotal movement of the rods 114 and 116. Each rod 114 and 116 is long enough to extend through the adjacent side frame member 72 and 74 of turntable 12. As best seen in FIG. 2, the pivotal movement of the respective rods 114 and 116 is limited by providing oblong openings 120 in each of the side frame members 72 and 74 through which said rods 114 and 116 extend. Since the free ends 178 of each of the rods 114 and 116 extend beyond the outer walls of the side frame members 72 and 74, further upward pivotal movement of the rods 116 and 118 will be prevented when the rods strike the upper portion of the oblong openings 12%. The oblong openings 120 are positioned in the side frame members 72 and 74, so that when the turntable assembly 12 is in an operating position, one of the openings 120 will be in alignment with the open slot 11% of the catch member 100, and the corresponding rod 114 or 116 extending through the opening 120 will be disposed in the open slot 11d. Thus, when the turntable 14 is rotated in either of its operating positions through an angle of 180 relative to the carriage 10, one of the respective rods 114 or 116 will be engaged by the slot 110 of the catch member 1110 to lock the turntable 14 against rotation, in a stationary position with respect to the carriage 10.

The turntable 12 can be released from engagement with the carriage 11 by the machine operator through manual movement of the indexing lever 112 upwardly toward the upper extremity of the oblong opening 121) and out of engagement with the open slot 119, as best seen in FIG. 4. A plunger assembly 121 is provided for each of the indexing rods 114 and 116 for normally urging these rods downwardly toward the bottom of the open slot 119 and oblong opening 120. Each plunger assembly 121 comprises a plunger rod 124 slidably mounted in a boss 126 integral with a respective side frame member 72 or 74 of turntable assembly 12. A compression spring 122 urges the plunger rod 124 downwardly into engagement with the respective indexing rod 114 or 116.

In disengaging the turntable 12 from its locked position with respect to the carriage 1d, the machine operator pivots upwardly whichever of the respective indexing rods 114, 116, is in operative engagement with the catch member 1110. By moving the engaged indexing rod 114 or 116 upwardly against the pressure exerted by the compression spring 126, it is possible to move said indexing rods out of engagement with the open slot 110 and into a position at the upper extremity of the oblong opening 110, as illustrated in FIG. 4. It is necessary for the operator to maintain the engaged indexing rods 114, 116 in a position above the open slot 111 until rotation of the turntable 12 is commenced. The arcuate cam segments 108 of catch member 11119 are provided for automatically locking the indexing rods 114, 116 in the open slot 111) of catch member 100 when the turntable 12 has been rotated 180 with respect to the carriage 111. Thus, as the turntable 12 nears completion of its 180 rotation above the carriage 11), the indexing rods 114, 116 will come into contact with the surface of the arcuate cam segments 108, and will be held thereagainst by the springbiased plunger rod 124.

Prior to the completion of the rotation of turntable 12, the indexing rod 114, 116 will slide along the surface of the arcuate cam segments 1138 and be guided thereby toward the open slot 111?. When the turntable 12 completes its rotation to an operative position, the indexing rod 114 or 116 will drop off the surface of arcuate cam segment 1118 and will be urged downwardly into the open slot 111) by the plunger assembly 121, thereby locking the turntable 12 in a stationary position with respect to the carriage 11).

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the spreading member 14 comprises a pair of spaced arms 128 connected at their forward ends by transverse guide rollers 1311, 132 and a feed roller 134. The rear ends of the arms 128 are formed with collars 33 which are keyed or otherwise fixedly mounted on the end portions of the shaft 78 adjacent the support frames 72 and 74. During the operation of the machine the cloth C is unwound from the roll R which is mounted on the V-shaped notch 94 of the side frame members 72 and 74, and is guided under and over rollers 131 132 and 134 as best seen in FIG. 2. In order to spread a layer of cloth smoothly upon the table surface S or upon a cloth pile P already spread, the feed roller 134 must be disposed above and proximate to the uppermost layer on the pile P. As the height of the pile P increases, the feed roller 134 is raised accordingly.

It will be appreciated that when the cloth pile P is laid down, the spreading member 14 is facing opposite to the direction of travel of the carriage 111. FIG. 2, for example, illustrates the position of the machine at the end of its travel in a right-hand direction, as viewed in this figure, the feed roller 134 having just completed depositing the uppermost layer of cloth C on the pile P. The end of the layer must now be cut by the operator,

6 and the turntable 12 turned through an angle of 180 to position the spreading member 14 at the right-hand end of the machine. The carriage 11 will then be rolled in a left-hand direction to the opposite end of the pile P to lay down another layer of cloth. In this manner, each layer will have the same surface facing upwardly.

As each layer of cloth is laid down and cut off, it is required to elevate the spreading member 14 before the turntable 12 is rotated 180. This is to prevent obstruction in the rotational movement of the spreading member by the pile of cloth, parts of the machine, and clamp means used to hold down the ends of the layers of cloth in the pile. Conventionally, this raising of the spreading member is performed manually by the operator in a separate operation so that at the end of each layer of cloth, the operator must first raise the spreading member and then release and rotate the turntable. In the machine shown herein, means are provided for automatically elevating the spreading member upon releaseof the turntable locking mechanism.

The locking assembly 16 includes a ratchet mechanism 136 comprising ratchet segment 138 affixed to the shaft 78, the segment 138 having ratchet teeth 140 normally engaged by a pawl 142. The pawl 142 is fixed to a transverse shaft 144 which is journalled in the side frames 72 and 74 of the turntable assembly 12. As seen in FIG. 1, the shaft 144 is normally urged in a counterclockwise direction by a coil spring 148, one end of which is connected to a collar 15f) affixed to the shaft 144, and the other end of which 148 has an elongated extension 152, engaging the upper surface of the turntable upper platform 64. Tension of the coiled spring 148 thus normally urges the pawl 142 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 140, to lock the spreader member 14 in an adjusted position.

The shaft 7 8 carries a somewhat larger coil spring 156 which normally biases said shaft 78 in a clockwise direction "as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, or a counterclockwise direction as viewed in F168. 3 and 4. Thus, the spreading member 14 carried by shaft 78 is urged in an upward direction and the ratchet segment 138 is urged in a direction toward the pawl 142. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 9, the sleeve 82 mounted on upper platform 64 and surrounding shaft 78, carries a coilar 153 affixed to the end thereof by a set screw 160. The spring 156 is secured at one end in an aperture 161 formed in the face of collar 158. The other end of spring 156 is secured in an aperture 163 which is likewise disposed in a collar 162. secured directly to the shaft 78 by set screw 164. Thus, it is apparent that when the ratchet teeth 140 are not engaged by the pawl 142, the coil spring 148 will transmit rotary motion to the shaft 78 in a clockwise direction, thereby pivoting the material spreading member 14 in an upward direction away from the table surface S. In this manner, the spreading member 14 is pivotally moved into a position clear of the carriage 111 as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. A maximum clearance position is reached when one edge portion 166 of the ratchet segment 138 engages a stop 168 secured to the turntable side frame member 72, as shown in FIG. 4.

In order to simultaneously raise the cloth spreading member when the turntable 12 is unlocked for rotation, a respective actuating lever 1711 is mounted on each of the side frame members 72 and 74, above each of the indexing rods 114, 116. Each actuating lever 170 is rotatably mounted at one end on a stub shaft 172 projecting laterally inward from one of the side frame members 72 and 74. One end of each actuating lever 174 overlies one of the respective indexing rods 114 and 116 so as to be elevated thereby when the indexing rod is raised. The other end of each actuating lever 170 carries a laterally projecting roller 174 which is seated upon a finger 176 affixed to the shaft 144. Thus, when the indexing rod 114 or 116 is moved upwardly and out of engagement with the open slot 110 of the catch member 100, as explained previously, the actuating lever 170 will be pivoted about the stud 172 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the roller 174 will depress the finger 176, thereby turning shaft 144 in a direction to disengage the pawl 142 from the ratchet teeth 140 and permitting the shaft 78 to rotate under the biasing force of coil spring 156. As the shaft '78 rotates, it elevates the drop-off arms 128 of the spreading member 14. Thus the drop-off arms 12% pivot along an arcuate path away from the table surface S to a clearance position above the side frames 18 and 22 of carriage 10.

The outer ends of the indexing rods 114, 116 which extend through the elongated openings 12th in the respective side frame members '72 and 74, serve as actuating handles 178 for manually releasing the locking assembly 16 from either side of the machine. To release the turntable assembly 12 for rotation about the carriage It the actuating handle 178 is moved upwardly to the top end of opening 120, thereby clearing the locking slot 110 of catch member 100. When the handle 17$ is elevated, the cloth-spreading member 14 is simultaneously moved automatically to a position clear of the carriage N. With the cloth-spreading member located in this clearance position, the operator can then rotate the turntable 12 through an angle of 180 relative to the carriage It) by exerting manual force on the raised handle 178. When the turntable 112 has been thus reversed, the operator then may depress, or move downwardly in an arcuate path, the cloth-spreading member 14. When the feed roller 134 reaches a proper position in accordance with the height of the stack or pile of cloth P, which has been spread on the table surface S, the operator releases the cloth-spreading member 14, which is automatically locked in position by the ratchet assembly 136. If it is necessary to align the roll of cloth R, the operator rotates the cloth alignment lever 66 to unlock the cloth alignment control 36, so that the turntable assembly 12. may be slid back and forth freely with respect to the carriage until the roll of cloth R is placed in proper alignment relation to the stack of cloth P. When the roll of cloth R is in a proper aligned position the alignment lever 66 is rotated back to a locked position and it is then possible to proceed with the spreading of a sheet of cloth on the table surface S.

Thus, the locking mechanism 16 may be quickly and easily disengag d in order to simultaneously release the turntable 12 for rotation about the carriage Jill and move the material-spreading member 14 to a clearance position. The turntable assembly 12 may then be immediately rotated and the spreading member 14 may be easily lowered and locked in an adjusted position.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous changes, additions and omissions may be made in such embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading number pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated 180 relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means including oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position, spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in an upward direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member and a pawl mem ber pivotally mounted on said turn-table for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, and actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods and the opposite end of each of the respective levers being operatively connected to said pawl member, thereby releasing said ratchet gear when either of said indexing rods is actuated to release said turntable locking means.

2. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means including oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position, spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in an upward direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member and a pawl member pivotally mounted on said turntable for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, and actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers being positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods, releasing fingers mounted on opposite sides of said turntable and connected to said pawl member and the opposite end of each of the respective actuating levers being operatively connected to said releasing fingers thereby releasing said ratchet gear when either of said indexing rods is actuated to release said turntable locking means.

3. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated 180 relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means including oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position, first spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in an upward direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member and a pawl member pivotally mounted on said turntable for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers being positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods, releasing fingers mounted on opposite sides of said turntable and connected to said pawl member, second spring means operatively connected between said turntable and said pawl member for normally urging said pawl member to rotate towards said ratchet gear, the opposite end of each of the respective actuating levers engaging said releasing fingers when either of said indexing rods in actuated, thereby releasing said turntable locking means.

4. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated 180 relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extend in the opposite direction, said locking means including a catch member mounted on said carriage and oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, said catch member having an open slot disposed therein and one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position when the respective indexing levers are received in said slot, spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in an upward direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member and a pawl member pivotally mounted on said turntable for adjustably retaining Said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, and actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods and the opposite end of each of the respective levers being operatively connected to Said pawl member, thereby releasing said ratchet gear when either of said indexing rods is actuated to release said turntable locking means.

5. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated 180 relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means including a catch member mounted on said carriage and oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, said catch member having an open slot disposed therein and one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position when the respective indexing levers are received in said slot first spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in an upward direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member and a pawl member pivotally mounted on said turntable for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers being positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods, releasing fingers mounted on opposite sides of said turntable and connected to said pawl member, second spring means operatively connected between said turntable and said pawl member for normally urging said pawl member to rotate towards said ratchet gear, the opposite end of each of the respective actuating levers engaging said releasing fingers when either of said indexing rods is actuated, thereby releasing said turntable locking means.

6. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable including side frames and a transverse shaft journalled between said side frames, said turntable being rotatably mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means including oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position, first spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in a direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member, a pawl member mounted on Said traverse shaft for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers being positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods, releasing fingers mounted on opposite sides of said transverse shaft connected to said pawl member, second spring means connected between said turntable and said transverse shaft for normally urging said transverse shaft and pawl member to rotate towards said ratchet gear and the opposite end of each of the respective actuating levers engaging said releasing fingers when either of said indexing rods is actuated thereby releasing said turntable locking means.

'7. In a cloth-spreading machine having a carriage movable back and forth along a table surface for spreading material in a pile thereon, a turntable rotatable mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage for supporting a supply of said material, a material spreading member pivotally mounted at one end of said turntable and projecting outwardly therefrom, and guide means on said material spreading member for guiding said material from said turntable to said table surface, releasable locking means for said turntable to lock said turntable in a first operative position in which said turntable is aligned with said carriage and said material spreading member extends in a first direction therefrom, and in a second operative position in which said turntable is rotated 180 relative to said carriage and said material spreading member extends in the opposite direction, said locking means includ ing a catch member mounted on said carriage and oppositely-projecting indexing rods movably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable, said catch member having an open slot disposed therein and one of said indexing rods being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the first operative position and the other indexing rod being operative to lock and unlock said turntable in the second operative position when the respective indexing levers are received in said slot, first spring means connected between said spreading member and said turntable for normally urging said spreading member in a direction away from said table surface, a ratchet gear fixed to said spreading member, a pawl member mounted on said transverse shaft for adjustably retaining said spreading member in a selected angular position relative to the carriage, actuating levers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said turntable with one end of each of the respective levers being positioned to overlie each of the respective indexing rods, releasing fingers mounted on opposite sides of said transverse shaft and connected to said pawl member, second spring means connected between said turntable and said transverse shaft for normally urging said transverse shaft and pawl member to rotate towards said ratchet gear and the opposite end of each of the respective actuating levers engaging said releasing fingers when either of said indexing rods is actuated thereby releasing said turntable locking means.

8. A cloth-spreading machine according to claim 7 in which a spring biased plunger rod is slidably mounted on each of said side frames, said plunger rods engaging the indexing rods and urging said indexing rods downwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,358,188 9/1944 Scoles et al. 270-31 2,478,840 8/ 1949 Sayles 270-31 2,508,684 5/1950 Obedin 270-31 2,980,421 4/ 1961 Diechmann 27031 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A CLOTH-SPREADING MACHINE HAVING A CARRIAGE MOVABLE BACK AND FORTH ALONG A TABLE SURFACE FOR SPREADING MATERIAL IN A PILE THEREON, A TURNTABLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE, MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR SUPPORTING A SUPPLY OF SAID MATERIAL, A MATERIAL SPREADING NUMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID TURNTABLE AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, AND GUIDE MEANS ON SAID MATERIAL SPREADING MEMBER FOR GUIDING SAID MATERIAL FROM SAID TURNTABLE TO SAID TABLE SURFACE, RELEASABLY LOCKING MEANS FOR SAID TURNTABLE TO LOCK SAID TURNTABLE IN A FIRST OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID TURNTABLE IS ALINGNED WITH SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID MATERIAL SPREADING MEMBER EXTENDS IN A FIRST DIRECTION THEREFROM, AND IN A SECOND OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID TURNTABLE IS ROTATE 180* RELATIVE TO SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID MATERIAL SPREADING MEMBER EXTENDS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID LOCKING MEANS INCLUDING OPPOSITELY-PROJECTING INDEXING RODS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TURNTABLE, ONE OF SAID INDEXING RODS BEING OPERATIVE TO LOCK AND UNLOCK SAID 